Man stabs woman, self, police say

Sara B. Crutchfield ran from her apartment Monday night to the protection of police and the help of paramedics.

Bleeding from knife wounds to her neck, Crutchfield made a break for it after Lafayette officers stormed her apartment after seeing her being assaulted by Richard M. Burke, police said.

Police arrived around 8:45 p.m. Monday after a neighbor asked a passer-by to call 911 because of screams coming from the apartment in the 1100 block of Main Street. Police looked inside the apartment and saw Burke holding Crutchfield down and assaulting her, according to Lafayette police.

When police rushed into the apartment, Crutchfield made her break for safety, and Burke grabbed a knife and ran from the front room to the kitchen, where he stabbed himself in the chest, according to police. Police used a Taser to persuade him to stop.

Crutchfield was taken to St. Elizabeth East and was later transferred to an Indianapolis-area hospital, police Lt. Perry Amos said.

Burke, an acquaintance of Crutchfield who had stayed at her apartment in the past, was taken IU Health Arnett, where he underwent surgery for deep knife wounds, Amos said.

The assault remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Lafayette police at 765-807-1200 or the We-Tip Hotline at 800-782-7463.